Cloth-holder.



J. E. AUSTlN.

CLOTH HOLDER.

APPUCATWN FILED. NOV. so. 1914.

1,173,545 'PatentedEebi 29 1916.

CLOTH-HOLDER.

Application filed. November 30, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JAMES E. AUSTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cloth-Holders; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in cloth holders and more particularly to those employing a detachable wash cloth.

The object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which while simple in construction, will securely hold a cloth in stretched taut position thereon and yet permit its ready removal when desired.

Vith the above and other objects in View, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 represents a plan View of this improved wash holder with the parts in closed position and the cloth removed; Fig. 2 is a side elevation or edge view thereof; Fig. 3 is an end elevation showing the cloth in operative position thereon ready for use.

In the embodiment illustrated this improved cloth holder is shown constructed from a single piece of heavy wire 1 bent upon itself at 2 to form a handle 3, the free ends then extending forwardly and diverging to form spring arms 1 and 5 which merge at their front ends into parallel fingers 6 and 7. Extending from the front end of the finger 7 is a transversely disposed rod 8 which is formed by bending the end of the finger 7 laterally at right angles thereto. The free end of this cross bar 8 is then bent inwardly at right angles thereto to form a resilient clamping arm 9 which terminates at its free end in a hook-shaped member 10, the bill of which extends laterally inward and is designed to engage a loop 11 formed in the arm 4 near its junction with finger 6. The cross bar 8 is also provided with a laterally extending loop 12 formed adjacent its connection with the resilient clamping member 9 and which is designed to receive the free end of finger 6 as is shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the use of this holder when it is de- I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

Serial No. 874,772.

sired to apply a cloth thereto, the parts being in. the position shown in Fig. l, a strip of cloth 13 of any suitable material and of any desired length is folded transversely upon itself as at 1 1 and is passed around the finger 7, said strip being preferably of a width corresponding to the length of the fingers 6 and 7 but if not of such a width, it may be folded to render it so. After this strip is folded around the finger 7 the two members thereof are brought together and passed over the finger 6 between it and the arm 9. This finger 6 is then moved inwardly to disengage it from the hook bill 10 and from the recess or loop 12 in arm 8 and said finger 6 is moved downward around the arm 9, back over the same and the free end thereof again disposed in loop 12 and the loop 11 of arm 4 again engaged with the hook bill 10 whereby the cloth is drawn taut between these members as shown in Fig. 3 and is held by the resilient action of the arms in this position ready for use, it being obvious that when the free end of the arm or finger 6 is sprung into the loop or recess 12 and the hook end 10 into the loop 11, that the clamping jaws of the device will be securely locked in operative position with the cloth 13 lying between them.

To remove the cloth, the clamping finger 6 is again released from the bar 8 and hook 10 and the cloth may be quickly detached.

I claim as my invention:

1. A cloth holder comprising resiliently connected diverging arms provided at their free ends with parallel fingers, one of said fingers having a laterally extending member projecting from the end thereof and spanning the space between said fingers, the free end of said lateral member having a clamping rod extending inwardly at right angles to said lateral member, and cooperating locking means on the free end of said clamping rod and on the adjacent arm of said holder for locking said members in operative position.

2. A cloth holder comprising resiliently connected diverging arms provided at their free ends with parallel fingers, one of said fingers having a cross rod laterally projecting from the free end thereof and spanning the space between said fingers, the free end of said lateral member having a clamping rod extending inwardly at right angles to said cross rod, cotiperating locking means on the free end of said clamping rod and on .terlocking engagement with the other fing'er, said means comprising a clamping arm err-tending laterally inward from the free end of said spacing member, said arm having an intnrned hook at its terminal, and a loop formed in one of said springs in posit'ioirto receive the bill of said hook.

4. A cloth holder comprising a handle, forwardly extending diverging springs carried by said handle, parallel fingers carried by said springs, a spacing member carried witnesses.

JAMES EDWIN AUSTIN.

WVitnesse's;

JAs. R. Soocrr,

ELMER C. WALKER.

Copies of this patent my be obtained for five cents eaeh, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

